Vote Complete: Religious Zionism Selects Knesset List
Approximately 170 center members have chosen the ten candidates for the 26th Knesset list. The primaries were held against the backdrop of internal tensions regarding Haredi conscription.
The Religious Zionism party, led by chairman Bezalel Smotrich, has concluded its internal elections for the 26th Knesset list. Out of 173 party center members, 170 cast their votes. Among those who did not participate were Ofir Sofer and Moshe Solomon.
The voting took place at two locations: the party headquarters in Shoham in the morning and the Ramada Hotel in Jerusalem in the afternoon. Reserve soldiers and individuals with special permits were provided with a secure remote online voting option.
The position of party chairman was not subject to a vote, as Smotrich had previously secured two key decisions within the party center: to restrict the election process to center members rather than an open vote, and to forgo elections for the head of the list.
Incumbent Knesset members Michal Woldiger, Ohad Tal, Zvi Sukkot, and Simcha Rothman, alongside Minister Orit Struck, competed for spots on the list. They were joined by Deputy Mayor of Petah Tikva Zvika Vishengard, Yesha Council CEO Omer Rahamim, Deputy Mayor of Rosh HaAyin Tom Eitan, tech entrepreneur Nathan Zaubman, and Rabbi Shmuel Sasson from Haifa.
A Split in the Camp
The primaries took place amid an internal crisis that has affected the party in recent weeks. Two members, Minister Ofir Sofer and MK Moshe Solomon, announced their departure prior to the elections. Sofer cited the widening gap between himself and Smotrich regarding Haredi conscription as the reason for his resignation, while Solomon was removed from Knesset committees following his vote against the Basic Law: Torah Study, subsequently announcing he would not run.
Conversations held by "Israel Hayom" with center members revealed a deep divide between those identifying as Haredi-Nationalists and those belonging to the mainstream religious-Zionist public. The dispute was ignited by the conscription exemption law and the broader issue of Haredi enlistment, topics on which Smotrich has refrained from presenting a definitive official policy.
